The Howl
: Chapter 7

I knew I was dreaming the moment my tranquil forest walk turned into a skunk riddled sex fest. Everywhere I looked, they were paired up and humping like crazy. I always dreamed about sex in some way, but this was a new level of awful for me. The scent of skunk lust was as rancid as their spray, and it filled my nose with an intensity that made it hard to breathe. However, despite the smell and the taste, my hunger demanded their lust.

I shook and fought against the urge to feed. One of the skunks looked at me, mid-humping.

“You’re like a sleeping princess,” it said.

“What?”

The moment I opened my mouth, the skunk-lust filled me. I swallowed it hungrily even as I gagged, and I was about to inhale more when I woke to a small mouth frantically licking my earlobe.

I squealed and scrambled from the bed while wiping at my ear.

“Don’t go, princess,” a tiny voice said from the darkness. “Let me try again. I can do better.”

I hit the light switch and stared at the brownie sprawled out naked on my pillow. The six-inch youth twitched as he frantically tugged on his little stick, his toes curling as he lifted his head to greet me with a smile.

“Hi, I’m Piepen. Thank you for inviting me.”

His knees bent a little with a particularly vigorous tug, and his eyes rolled back in his head. His current activity explained why the sour lust taste from my dream still clogged the air.

“Please stop touching yourself.”

“Can’t. I’m so close. Just a few more—”

“Get off my pillow!”

The scent intensified.

Gagging, I covered my eyes with my hand and felt my way to the bathroom just as he squealed in rapture.

The taste lingered in my mouth, no matter how many times I rinsed. It reminded me of the stuff Dad had put on my nails when I was little in an attempt to get me to stop biting them. I gagged, rinsed again, then brushed my teeth thoroughly. It didn’t help. The air was tainted with the smell, which recoated the back of my tongue every time I breathed in.

I turned on the bathroom fan then opened every window in my room before looking at the brownie. He lay stomach down now, thankfully. Still on my pillow, though, stroking the material gently.

“You smell so good,” he said, his little voice muffled.

“There’s been a misunderstanding,” I said. “When I told you to let me know you’d arrived, I should have specified during the day. You need to go back to Megan’s house. Now.”

His little head jerked up from my pillow, and I stared into his tiny, sad brown eyes.

“Please don’t make me stay with Elbner.”

“It’s too dangerous for you to stay here. Especially after what just happened.”

He jumped up from the pillow, his iridescent wings fluttering rapidly as he zoomed toward my face, all six millimeters of his tiny, hard staff aimed right at my eye.

I squealed and ducked only to feel him clinging to my hair.

“I can’t go back. Please don’t make me. I’ll do anything.”

Each statement was punctuated by a hip thrust to my head. Without thinking, I swatted him from my hair.

He squealed and flew across the room to land on the carpet where he lay without moving. Fear and guilt speared me.

“Please don’t be dead,” I said, rushing to him.

“Not dead,” he rasped. “In ecstasy. That was the fastest I’ve milked my acorns yet. Your hand is so soft.”

I lifted my hand, gagged at the pale white smear on my skin, and rushed to the bathroom.

After I finished washing, I tried to once more reason with the little creature, who’d relocated to my bed again.

“I don’t think you understand the danger you’re in here,” I said. “I’m a succubus.”

He sat up, mid-roll on my pillow.

“Really? Does that mean we can have sex?”

“What? No, it means I’m a danger to you.”

His hand was already sliding down between his legs.

“Stop touching yourself.”

He lifted both hands high.

“If I promise not to touch myself, can I stay? I hate when Elbner gives my wings tongue baths. They’re never clean enough for him.”

My mouth dropped open. I knew very well the goblin wasn’t bathing him; he was tasting the brownie’s wings. The number of wingless brownies in existence was astounding. It really was a miracle that Piepen still had his.

And because of that, I knew I couldn’t send him back to Megan’s. It would only be a matter of time before Piepen was as wingless as the majority of his race. I sighed in defeat, knowing I couldn’t condemn him to that existence.

“I’ll let you stay, but only if you swear to follow several rules for your safety.”

“Anything,” he said, nodding eagerly.

“First, you need to wear clothes around me at all times. Second, you can’t touch yourself in my room. Third, you sleep in this drawer,” I said, pulling open a drawer in a dresser I never used.

He bowed his head, his mop of shaggy brown hair falling into his eyes as he started to sniffle.

“You want to close me in a drawer?” he asked, hurt pouring from him.

“Of course not. The drawer will stay open while you sleep. It will be your bed, complete with a pillow and a blanket.”

“Truly?” he asked, looking up with hope. “You don’t want to lock me away?”

“Never,” I said, wondering what kind of past the poor creature had already endured in his short life. “If you can follow my rules, you’ll be my guest.”

He was already nodding excitedly. I grabbed the lust coated pillow from my bed and placed it in the drawer, along with a shawl from my closet, while he zipped across the room to his discarded pants.

Shivering, I started to close windows. The scent of his lust still strongly lingered in the air, though. In the reflection of the mirror, I caught him tugging his pants back on with frequent and unnecessary readjustments of his little package.

He saw me watching and immediately stopped.

Sighing, I pointed at his bed.

“Go to sleep, and no more touching yourself. I mean it.”

He flew to his bed and settled under the soft shawl I’d provided, petting it with a contented sigh, before closing his eyes. I crawled back into my bed and exhaled slowly, not sure if I’d be able to sleep while breathing in his nastiness.

After a few minutes, I got out of bed and turned on the ceiling fan. It helped along with the fact that Piepen was softly snoring and no longer touching himself.

With a sigh, I closed my eyes and drifted off.

This time, when the skunk dream invaded my mind, I knew what was happening and woke shaking my head.

My cheek touched a wet spot on my pillowcase. I lifted my head, wondering if I’d been drooling because of hunger. The tiny circle, about the size of a dime, glistened with a non-saliva iridescence.

“Ugh! Ew!”

I sat up and brushed my cheek, which only smeared the nastiness.

“Piepen,” I hissed, looking around the room. “I said no touching yourself.”

His head peeked up from the edge of his bed drawer.

“I didn’t. I swear.”

Even as he said it, he started twitching as if the lower half of him, currently hidden from view, was moving. The scent of his lust grew.

“How old are you, Piepen?”

“I just turned fourteen.”

I knew he meant fourteen months because brownies weren’t as long-lived as most races. Likely because they bred like crazy as soon as they hit puberty, which started after one year of age. So, what he was doing wasn’t really his fault. It was his nature for the given stage of his life.

“I need to shower and get ready for school. While I’m gone today, I want you to stay in this room for your safety. You still have your wings, and a lot of creatures in this town will want to change that.”

“Thank you for keeping me safe.”

Guilt stabbed at me as I stripped my pillow, threw the case into the laundry, then closed myself in the bathroom.

While I would do just about anything to help Megan solve her case so she could get home faster, keeping the brownie in my room wasn’t going to work for long. Especially after I’d accidentally fed from him. He was far from safe with me.

I started the shower and stripped out of my pajamas. As much as I wanted to avoid eye contact with the mirror so I wouldn’t see what was currently drying to my cheek, I turned to place my pj’s on the counter.

I stopped short at the sight of myself. Not because of the smear on my cheek but because of the reflection of my body.

My rib bones shone in startling prominence. The hollow of my stomach was ghastly as were my protruding hip bones. I touched them, not believing what I was seeing. But I didn’t feel as wasted as I looked. I felt thin, sure, but not bony.

I frowned and looked down at myself. I was normal. Looking up at the mirror again, I saw the same thing that I felt and shook my head at what I’d thought I’d seen. I was just tired and stressed. My mind was playing tricks on me.

As soon as the water warmed, I stepped into the wet room and stood under the rainfall spray. Soaping my face twice only made me feel marginally better. Breathing in the scent of my floral shampoo, I lathered my hair and tried to replace my happy place for the day.

With the brownie and goblin in Uttira, Megan wouldn’t be gone for much longer. That happy thought deflated when I realized that Megan had her mark now and would likely leave again for some other case just as soon as she returned. The Council wouldn’t want a full-fledged fury in town for long.

Buried under the weight of my depressing thoughts, I didn’t immediately notice the splash of water against my legs. However, I definitely felt the splash against my inner thigh since it was accompanied by the brush of tiny fingers.

I squealed and scrambled back a step, looking down to see Piepen, the naked little horndog, bathing in my pubic hair runoff.

His wet, upturned face was filled with joy as he “washed” himself with a vigor that threatened to detach his prized possession.

Without thinking, I lifted my leg to kick him. I wasn’t thinking of how it might hurt him or how I was exposing myself. I just wanted him out. However, the moment his eyes widened and his gaze locked on my privates, I knew my mistake. Instead of flying away in terror, he dipped lower. I missed and almost fell.

“The glory of a real woman!” he said in his high-pitched voice.

He twitched and groaned, and his familiar skunk smell clogged the air.

“Oh, what a gift! Thank you for showing me your flower and glistening petals. You’ve made a man out of me,” he said on a sigh and continued to stare. “Your breasts are magnificent, too. Would you like me to wash them for you?”

I sputtered for a moment before my brain formed a coherent thought.

“Get out of this bathroom before I rip your wings off myself.”

All trace of color vanished from his exposed flesh, and he zipped from the bathroom.

Shaking and disgusted—mostly at myself for threatening him in such a horrible way—I stood in the water for another minute before rinsing and drying off.

Wrapped in a towel, I peeked into my room and noticed a shaking lump under my blankets.

I opened my mouth to apologize then stopped. If he was afraid of me, maybe he’d keep his distance. And distance would keep him safer.

Leaving him be, I went to my closest and found yet another revealing top waiting for me. I seethed for a moment before ripping it off the hanger and dressing. Piepen remained quietly hidden when I reemerged, but the trembling ball had flattened out.

“We need better rules,” I said. “You’re not allowed on, in, or near my bed at any time, day or night.”

His rhythmic humping of my sheets immediately stopped.

“When I’m in the bathroom, you’re not allowed to enter under any circumstances. If you break any of those rules, you’ll need to leave. Do you understand?”

He crawled out from under my sheets, his tear-streaked face peering at me before he nodded and fled to his drawer.

“I’ll see you after school.”

I left my room and went straight for my chocolate stash, tucking two bars into my purse before heading downstairs.

I briefly considered taking a bite of one just to rid my mouth of the lingering taste of brownie lust then decided against it. The last thing I needed was Mrs. Quill telling Adira that I was eating chocolate for breakfast. I didn’t want to lose my stash. My steps slowed right outside the dining room as I realized just how important the chocolate would be to me now.

With Piepen’s arrival, I’d momentarily forgotten what had happened last night. Mrs. Quill’s abandonment stung all over again. I thought of our morning routine of her fixing me human food I didn’t really need. Why keep the pretense?

“Don’t hover in the hallway, Eliana. Get in here and give your mom a hug.”

The sound of my mom’s voice propelled me forward. She sat at the table with Mrs. Quill. Both had cups before them.

Mom smiled at me, her blonde hair perfectly lying over one shoulder.

“Baby, you have no idea how good it is to see you. Come sit by me. Tell me about school. Friends. Your life. Anything.”

“What are you doing here?” I asked instead.

She waved her hand negligently.

“Just a Council misunderstanding that I’m sure they’ll clear up in a few days. Though, I wouldn’t mind if it took longer. Just look at you. You’re getting so big. Not much in the way of curves, but if that’s working for you, embrace it.”

She patted the chair beside her.

“Sit. I made you a fun breakfast that I think you’ll enjoy.”

“Council misunderstanding?” I looked at Mrs. Quill. She knew why my mom couldn’t be here. What could the Council possibly—

“They think I’ve been killing trolls,” Mom said with a laugh. “Can you imagine?”

“No. I can’t imagine how the Council would possibly jump to that conclusion.” I continued to stare at Mrs. Quill. “What game is Adira playing now?”

My mom’s gaze shifted between Mrs. Quill and me.

“What games has Adira been playing?” Mom asked, her tone turning dangerously serious.

I looked at my mom, torn. If I admitted everything, she would never trust me in the Quills’ and Adira’s care again. Yet, if I said nothing, I would continue to suffer Adira’s manipulations, which after last night, were getting worse.

“Eliana?” Mom prompted.

“When you brought me here, I was naive to so many aspects of our world.”

“Which is why it was time to bring you here.”

I nodded.

“And you allowed me to stay so I could learn at my own pace.”

“Because you asked.”

I could see her growing curiosity as to where this conversation was leading.

“Why does this preluding explanation feel like you’re trying to protect Adira?” she asked, a hint of humor returning to her tone.

I couldn’t help but smile a little. Though we’d only spent a small amount of time in each other’s company since she’d left me here, we’d talked often. Because of that, she knew me well.

“I am. Until recently, I’ve been allowed to set the pace.”

Mom’s eyes darkened.

“Until recently? What happened?”

“Adira’s forcing me to wear what she thinks is appropriate for a succubus my age. She has also attempted to select who I should feed on and has tried to coerce my compliance.”

“I see. And did she give you a reason why?”

“We’re worried Eliana is starving herself because she hasn’t fully embraced who she is. Until yesterday, she’s solely been feeding on me.”

My mother stared at Mrs. Quill for a long moment.

“I would like to speak with my daughter alone, please.”

Mrs. Quill promptly vanished, and Mom looked at me again, patting the chair.

I took the seat and saw she’d made me chocolate chip pancakes smothered in chocolate syrup and topped with a death-by-chocolate ball of ice cream that was slowly melting. Her understanding of me almost brought me to tears.

“Thanks, Mom.”

She smiled and watched me take my first bite. It was disgustingly good.

“You know that doesn’t nourish you, right?” she asked.

“I know. It’s a good thing, too, or I’d be fat. How can something that doesn’t provide any significant nourishment taste so good?”

“You told me you were feeding, baby.”

“I was. Mrs. Quill was perfectly acceptable and willing.”

She watched me eat for a moment.

“Are they right? Do you have an eating disorder?”

I stopped with my fork partially to my mouth. The absurdity of her question startled a laugh from me.

“It’s not funny, Eliana. I know you’ve been through a lot and just want to make sure—”

“I’m fine, Mom. I fed off a nasty pedophile this summer. I’m not starving, I’m selective.”

She frowned.

“You like pedophiles? I suppose that explains your trim figure.”

“Ew, Mom, no! What I like is choosing my own meals. You don’t let anyone tell you who to eat or what to wear or when to kiss. Why should I?”

I couldn’t believe that just came out of my mouth.

“Oh, baby, I’m so glad I’m here, no matter what the reason. I wish you wouldn’t have kept all this from me. Why did you?”

Her gaze turned sad as I tried to come up with a truthful reason that wouldn’t hurt her feelings.

“You thought I would try to force you, too, didn’t you?”

I nodded, hating the disappointment in her expression.

“Never, baby. All I’m going to do…all I ever want to do…is to encourage you to become the best version of you, whatever that version may be. While I think Adira was trying to do that in her own backward way, you don’t have to worry about her anymore. I’m here, and I’m not leaving you again until everyone sees you like I see you.

“Now, tell me all about school, your friends, or anything you want. I’m ready for all the juicy Uttira gossip.”

The weight of her motherly affection stifled me.

“Well, I’m not any further in my self-paced studies. Mostly because I’m having a hard time focusing on them with Megan gone. I’m worried about her.”

Mom reached out and smoothed a hand over my hair.

“There’s nothing to worry about. Megan looked fine. So did Oanen, by the way. I don’t know how you lived with that temptation under the same roof. That boy is just delicious.”

“Mom, Oanen is off-limits. His dad, too. You know that, right? They’re my family.”

“Of course I know that. It doesn’t mean I can’t look and drool a little.”

It was in her nature—every succubus’s nature, really—to look and drool a lot. And to tempt and lure. As much as I missed my mom and loved her, the Council needed to get their information straight and send Mom home before something bad happened.

“I better get to school. I don’t want to be late, looking like this.”

Mom’s gaze flicked to my clothes as I stood.

“It’s definitely not your usual school-girl style.”

“No, it’s not. I miss my dresses.”

“So don’t go to school. Stay home with me.” Her gaze lit. “I might not be able to take you shopping, but we could go out for a bite to eat.”

She didn’t mean one of Uttira’s restaurants. She meant hunting. And that was the last thing I wanted to do with her. Ever.

“I can’t. I missed some stuff yesterday that I need to catch up on.”

“I don’t know why you bother with the Academy. You could easily test out of the human education classes, and Adira obviously has no clue about guiding a powerful succubus such as yourself.”

“Mom, I’m not powerful.”

“Nonsense. That misguided thinking only proves my point. The Academy isn’t helping you. I should homeschool you.”

My heartbeat stuttered for a panicked moment.

“I like school, Mom. I like seeing my friends, and I like being around all the people. Please don’t take that from me.”

Love and worry glinted in her eyes.

“Never. If you want to keep going, then, of course you’ll go. I just wanted you to know that I’m here for you, however you need me.”

I smiled, gave her a quick hug, then fled. My mind raced as I drove to school. How could the Council make such a dumb mistake? It was fairly common knowledge that my kind preferred to feed off of humans with the exception of a few other creatures. Definitely not trolls. Or brownies. A full-body shiver wracked through me at the thought of the latter.

And Mr. Quill had said that the killings seemed ritualistic, which meant magic. Succubi didn’t have magic. Nothing was adding up.

When I pulled through the gates just behind another car, I knew I was much later than usual. There were far too many vehicles in the parking lot. Heads turned as I got out of the car and hurried toward the building. There was no jacket to hide me this time.

Yanet saw me in the hall, and a wistfulness crossed her expression. Like yesterday’s top, today’s exposed a good portion of my sternum and cleavage. However, it also dipped far too low on my back. The lack of material combined with the missing undergarment meant that I was a little cold, and everyone could tell.

Crossing my arms, I hurried to the first session’s room and slid into my seat. Belemina turned in her chair to give me a knowing look before Lucas’s lecture started. The scent of lust slowly built as the minutes ticked by. I felt twitchy with hunger even though the combined lust smelled like cake rolled in chocolate then dropped in a sludge-filled pond.

As soon as the bell rang, I was out of my seat.

“Can I carry your books for you?” the boy next to me asked.

“I don’t have any books.”

He laughed.

“I said boobs.”

With my face heating to molten-core level, I rushed from the room. Mom’s words came back to me. Why was I even here? I couldn’t remember any of the lecture I’d just sat through. And even if I could remember, was it anything I didn’t already know? Yet, going home and agreeing to homeschool would mean that Mom would never leave. Or, at least, not until I was the best version of myself she thought I should be.

My self-paced study with Ashlyn wasn’t much better than the day before, thanks to Yanet’s very focused attention.

“I can’t believe I didn’t notice how pretty you were before now.”

Her eyes were on my chest, again, not my face.

“Please, Yanet, I really need to finish my work today,” I said for the third time.

“Yanet, if you’re not here to study, you need to leave,” Ashlyn said.

Yanet heaved a sigh.

“I better leave. There’ll be no studying with that much treasure begging to be unearthed.”

She leaned forward.

“If you ever need my help with that, let me know.” She winked an earthy brown eye at me and sashayed out of the room. She didn’t smell bad. In fact, I itched to follow her and discover exactly what—

I blinked, my vision flickering between hyper-focused and normal.

Someone sat in the chair beside me, and I made an impatient sound.

“Everything okay?” Ashlyn asked.

“Sorry, I thought it was another…” I glanced around the room and caught the kid with the great smile watching me. He winked and blew me a kiss.

“Never mind,” I mumbled to Ashlyn as I focused on my tablet.

“You know, you do look really pretty.”

The way she said it gave me an immediate uh-oh feeling. The sweet scent of her budding lust drove my hunger through the roof.

“You know better, Ashlyn,” I said without looking up. “What you’re feeling is an illusion brought on by my pheromones and body language that I’m trying really, really hard to control right now. But I need your help. Go back to your seat and think about everything your family has suffered because of creatures like me. Don’t become the next victim.”

There was a moment of silence, then the chair scraped against the floor. I exhaled slowly as she returned to her place in the front corner of the room. While her scent gradually returned to normal, I imagined what it would taste like if I’d helped it bloom. The itch to look at her clawed at me as the remaining time ticked away. I all but ran from the room when the bell rang.

I made it to the bathroom before the halls got too crowded and splashed some cold water on my face. Staring at my reflection, I watched my eyes flicker between brown and black and wondered what would happen next. Without Mrs. Quill, I’d need to feed or die. And as much as I told myself I’d rather die than feed on a human, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stop myself. No matter what Adira and Mrs. Quill thought, I wasn’t starving yet. But I would be soon, and let the gods help whomever my hunger chose as my victim because I wouldn’t be able to.

“Hey, sucu-babe,” Belemina said, walking into the bathroom. “Wanna make out?”

“Now isn’t a good time,” I said, gripping the sink.

“I’m serious. It might take the edge off.”

I lifted my gaze to hers, knowing I’d gone full black.

“The edge and everything else you have. Are you willing to give it?”

She lifted her hands and backed up a step.

“Just trying to be a friend and help out.”

“I don’t need help.”

“Sure. Whatever you say.”

She didn’t move as I left the bathroom. Students in the hall whispered and laughed as I hurried past them. I didn’t care. I just needed to reach the next session room. Then I’d be fine.

However, when I walked into Self-Discovery, I was anything but fine. All the desks were full except one.

Fenris flashed his easy grin at me and patted the empty seat beside him.

“My schedule was changed,” he said. “Apparently, we’re both late bloomers and need to work that out. Wanna be my study buddy?”

Standing in the doorway, I seethed, knowing exactly what was happening.

The Academy was Adira’s very own science experiment, and I was currently a test subject.